Family Corner Welcome to our preschool Family Corner. We publish this site several times per year in order to provide information on a variety of topics of interest to preschool parents. All content is written and maintained by the staff of the Belmont Public School Preschool and represents their experiences and favorite choices for gifts; activities; resources; and fun ideas. Click on the pictures for further information on that topic. Enjoy! The Toy Shelf Link is a list of The Resources Link is a list of recommended preschool toys; games; resources compiled by our staff or books staff found to support that provide interesting, useful or motor, sensory, language, and fun ideas for parents of preschool cognitive development in children. children. The Staff Tips Link contains ideas from staff members on how to deal with common seasonal concerns voiced Two fun activities for the whole by parents of preschoolers. family. Season specific pleasures recommended to promote motor, language and social development in your preschool age child. The Planes, Trains and Automobile Link contains tips on how to make those long family journeys more enjoyable. To contact us: Belmont Public School Preschool Program Ms. Peg Hamilton, Early Childhood Liaison Winn Brook School, 97 Waterhouse Rd., Belmont, Ma 02478 Telephone: 617-993-5695 The Toy Shelf Link is a good source of ideas for gift. Listed below are our staff choices for fun and educational games, books and toys for the preschoolers on your list. They are separated by developmental focus. Sensory and Gross Motor Toys Constructional Toys Silly Putty – Binney and Smith Tinker Toys – Hasbro Koosh Ball – Koosh Lincoln Logs – K’nex Sit ‘n Spin – Playskool Kids K’nex – K’nex Playchute – Pacific Play Tents Marble Run – Galt America Inc. Tent and Tunnel – Pacific Play Tents Mega Blocks - Megablocks Fun-Ride Scooter – Hot Wheels Large Legos Up and Down Roller Coaster – Step 2 Bristle Blocks Splat Gak Splat – Hasbro 50 Piece Wooden Block Set - Brio Floam – Rose Art Soft and Sturdy Deluxe Blocks – Step 2 Mini-Trampoline Games for Fine Motor Coordination Fine Motor Coordination (Perceptual Skills) (Prewriting and Bilateral Strengthening) Perfection – Milton Bradley Stacking Cups – Shelcore Cootie – Milton Bradley MagnaDoodle – Tyco Hi Ho! Cheerio! – Parker Brothers Playdough Fun Factory – Playskool Sequence for Kids – Jax Ltd. Big Ten Bowling Set- STATS Mr. Mouth – Milton Bradley Magnetic Alphabet Desk – Fun Years Hungry Hungry Hippos – Hasbro Magnetic Numbers and Letters – Preskool Twister – Milton Bradley Lite Brite Cube – Hasbro Race to the Roof – Ravensburger Model Magic – Crayola Ice Cream Scoops – Fisher Price Crayola Trace ‘n Draw Projector – Crayola Melissa and Doug Floor and Wooden Puzzles Wood Block – Melissa and Doug Ants in the Pants- Milton Bradley Deluxe Large Standing Easel –Melissa and Doug Don’t Spill the Beans – Milton Bradley Lacing Beads in a Box – Melissa and Doug Don’t Break the Ice – Milton Bradley Fishin’ Around Game- Milton Bradley I Spy Memory Game – Briar Patch Memory – Hasbro 130 Piece Wood Pattern Blocks – Melissa and Doug * This list was partially compiled by a prior list developed by Ingrid H. Smith, OTR Here are just some of the reasons why reading picture books with your preschooler is so important: Books help to develop rhyming skills, and learning to recognize rhyming words helps children learn to read Read nursery rhymes or other verses Encourage your child to fill in the last rhyming word of a verse (the pictures can give your child a clue about the rhyming word) Books help to teach children the meaning of words Encourage your child to talk about the pictures and the story Try to point out the meanings of words using the pictures You can relate new words to words that your child already knows (such as relating the word “huge” to the word “big”) You can also teach your child various concepts including colors, sizes, shapes, quantities, and same versus different Books help to develop sequencing skills, which is the process for children to begin telling their own stories As you read the story, encourage your child to talk about each event, even if it is just a word or two You can show how two events are connected in a cause and effect sequence After the story, encourage your child to recall events from the story, use the picture to help Books help to develop storytelling skills Encourage your child to tell parts of the story (if it is a familiar book) Help your child to make predictions about what will happen next Ask questions while reading, such as who, where, what, how, and when Books are also wonderful tools to practice articulation (pronunciation of sounds) as well as develop fluency of speech (smooth and uninterrupted pattern of speaking) Here are just a few suggestions of picture books for Preschoolers: The Mitten (Jan Brett) Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown) The Runaway Bunny (Margaret Wise Brown) The Grouchy Ladybug (Eric Carle) The Very Busy Spider (Eric Carle) The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle) The Very Noisy Cricket (Eric Carle) Jamberry (Bruce Degen) Hey Diddle Diddle and Other Mother Goose Rhymes (Tomie de Paola books) The fall and winter seasons Staff Tips focus on three areas of parental concern during these busy days. Helping our children to enjoy large family gatherings ; setting and maintaining a stress free bedtime routine ; and providing active experiences through the winter months are the challenges we address. Hope we help! Holidays, celebrations, and family gatherings are wonderful, exciting and stressful times for children. Routine is disrupted, bedtime is often later, children (and parents!) are tired and excited, and frequently feeling overwhelmed. You can help your child to enjoy festive occasions by planning in advance. * Prepare your child for the event a few days ahead of time: Before the big event: 1. Mark the event on a calendar with a visual symbol and together count off the days. 2. Tell your child the Who-What-Where-How of the event (who will be there, what will happen, where it will take place, and how you will get there). Go over twice a day until the event. 3. Practice social responses so that you and your child are not put in an uncomfortable position under pressure (saying thank you for a gift; giving a hug; waving; saying “hi”.) Using dolls works really well to practice these routines. 4. If the gathering is at your home and other children will be present, talk to your child in advance about identifying toys that he is willing to share, and the toys he will put away or cover as “not available”. The Day of the Gathering: 1. On the day of the event, put out a new toy or game for all the children to share, whether the event is at your home or you are traveling. 2. If you are going to someone else’s home, bring a favorite and familiar DVD/video to help give your child a time to calm down or be quiet. 3. Avoid caffeine and high-sugar foods (including soda and fruit juices). 3. Avoid caffeine and high -sugar foods (including soda and fruit juices). 4. Keep to your regular routine as much as is humanly possible before, during, and after an exciting event. 5. Talk to your child ahead of time about a quiet place they can be if things get too noisy or busy. Bring a small bag of familiar books, coloring, or another quiet, soothing activity that your child can do without you to regroup. Try to intervene before a breakdown occurs and provide a quiet time. 6. If you can, take a few moments to step outside with your child, or go to a quiet room with them for hugs, rocking, or talking. This can do a lot to calm their system during the busy gathering, allowing them to tolerate more. The important word in establishing a happy, calm transition to bed each night is “routine”. Once a child has experienced this routine many times, each piece of it further prepares and calms him for sleep (think of Pavlov’s dog and the bell!). Parents can be ready to put a routine in place by doing the following: • Start with the time you would like your child to be in bed with lights out, ready to sleep. • Then time how long it normally takes your child to accomplish each task in getting ready for bed, and subtract this time from bedtime. Add in a 5-10 minute transition signal (“5 more minutes of play time. Then it is time for your bath”). This will be the time you start the bedtime routine every night. With this strategy, you will avoid rushing your child and therefore getting him “excited” and less able to calm and go to sleep. • Give a verbal transition warning to your child five or ten minutes before he/she needs to begin getting ready for bed. Get full eye contact and acknowledgement from your child when you do this – don’t just call in from the other room while he is watching TV and says “ok” – often kids are so absorbed in play or TV that they don’t truly process what you say, and so when you come in five minutes later to turn off the TV you may get a strong reaction of outrage from your child – to them it may be abrupt. • Many parents find it helpful to make a simple picture schedule for each step of the bedtime process (For example, bath, pajamas, brush teeth, 2 books, kiss, sleep). Pictures can be very powerful because even though your child may understand language well, pictures help him/her internalize the steps and usually take the struggle out of the routine.